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captions, page 10:
Greenhalgh Event
Top, left to right: The Greenhalghs: Larry, Mildred, Bob Huntley, Marjorie Morse-Huntley. Above: Four Greenhalgh scholarship winners, left to right: Brittany Bousquet, Kelsey Rybacki, Gunnar Andersen and Austin Dodd. Courtesy photos.
Greenhalgh
remembered
in perpetuity
By Ron P. Coderre
A gathering of more than 120 Putnam High School alumni from around the country, and family and friends of the late coach James Greenhalgh came together Aug. 10 at Connecticut National Golf Club for a golf outing and dinner in his memory. The occasion was the culmination of more than three years of work in establishing the Coach Jim Greenhalgh Memorial Scholarship.
In the presence of Greenhalgh’s widow, Mildred Morse-Greenhalgh and his stepchildren, Marjorie Morse-Huntley and Ellsworth “Larry” Morse, Master of Ceremonies Ronald P. Coderre, of the Class of 1959, orchestrated a program announcing the final results of the scholarship effort. The evening was also an opportunities for former athletes and students of Greenhalgh to share nostalgic memories.
Coach Jim Greenhalgh died on Jan. 26, 2009 at the age of 86. He served as the football, basketball and baseball coach as well as physical education teacher and guidance counselor at Putnam High School for more than 35 years. A U.S. Marine Corps veteran of WWII, Greenhalgh posted a win-loss record of 574-306-12 during his illustrious coaching career in Putnam.
William “Bill” Kelleher of the Class of 1949 and Greenhalgh Scholarship Committee member opened the festivities with remarks and tales of the late legendary coach, while also thanking those present for their support of the scholarship fund-raising effort.
Greenhalgh family members, led by Marjorie Morse-Huntley took turns at the mic with words of thanks and recollections of the man they described as “loving, kind and gentle and a blessing in our lives.”
Since its inception in 2009 the scholarship fund-raising effort has produced approximately $50,000 and netted $40,000 in scholarship money. The initial four winners of the Coach Greenhalgh Memorial Scholarships, Kelsey Rybacki, Brittany Bousquet, Austin Dodd and Gunnar Andersen were on hand with their families, to thank the supporters of the scholarship. Rybacki is at Eastern Connecticut State University, while Bousquet, Dodd and Andersen are students at UConn.
In December the Greenhalgh Scholarship Committee will formally turn over $35,000 to the Town of Putnam to be placed in the high school scholarship fund, honoring the name of Coach James Greenhalgh in perpetuity. A $1,000 scholarship will be presented annually to a Putnam graduating senior athlete and scholar who best exemplifies the qualities in life that coach Greenhalgh represented.
Guests were present from throughout the northeast and as far away as Mississippi, Georgia, Florida, West Virginia and Texas. Among the guests was 1965 Putnam High School grad Jeffrey P. Jankot, who starred in golf, basketball and cross-country while a Clipper. Jankot, who was lieutenant in the 101st Airborne Division of the U.S. Army, was wounded and blinded in Vietnam in 1970.
A short time after returning to the states, with the help of his classmate and fellow Vietnam veteran Bob Bernier, Jankot began playing blind golf competitively. After finishing third and second he captured the 1976 United States National Blind Golf Championship, recording a round of 93-92 to win by seven strokes. The Putnam High School Alumni Athletic Association honors a Clipper golfer annually with the Jeffrey P. Jankot Golf Award.
Prior to the dinner, 15 foursomes teed off in a nine-hole golf outing strictly for old fashioned bragging rights. The foursome of John and Jay Lachance, Scott Collins and Ricky Ciesluk gained the honors with a six under par. Second place went to the team of Kendall Dean and Russ Mayhew of the Class of ’57 and Brian Burke and Dave Coderre with a minus five. Also with a minus five in third place was the group of Bob Auger, Jim Bartolomei, Al Washburn and John Smutnick.
The Coach Greenhalgh Memorial Scholarship committee was composed of Peter Aucoin ’66; Russ Burgess ’48; Ron Coderre ’59; Roger Franklin ’56; Bill Kelleher ’49; Buzz King ’56; Stu Neal ’62; Paul Nelson ‘49’ Steve Peluso ’55; Ed Perron ’60; James Phaiah ’65; Stan Scraba ’50; Kevin Shaw ’70; Stan Sheldon ’48; and Gerry Vaillant ’67.